archive

An archive is a collection of documents or records preserved because they have enduring evidential, historical, or cultural value. Archives can be physical or digital and may be created by individuals, organizations, or governments. They differ from libraries in that they emphasize original order, provenance, and long-term preservation to maintain context.

Etymology: archiva from Latin archiva, from Greek archeion meaning 'public records office.' The practice of archiving developed over centuries; modern archival science emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries, formalizing standards for appraisal, arrangement, and description. Archivists seek to balance access with preservation.

Types include institutional archives (government, business, or nonprofit), manuscript and special-collections archives, government archives, university archives, and private or family archives. Digital archives and repositories preserve electronic records, email, websites, and data.

Core principles include provenance (keeping materials with their origin), respect des fonds (maintaining original order), and comprehensive description through finding aids and metadata. Access policies govern who may view materials, with privacy and copyright considerations.

Digital preservation faces challenges such as format obsolescence and media decay. Strategies include format migration, emulation, redundant storage, and integrity checks. Metadata and persistent identifiers help with longevity and discovery.

Archives enable research, accountability, and cultural memory. They rely on appraisal to determine value, ongoing conservation, and skilled documentation by archivists and records managers. As technologies evolve, archives adapt to new formats and access needs while preserving their evidential role.